when creating a new record, is there a way to give the previous data as a base from which to start off on and then change. A sort of "save as" option?
There is an option to Clone records. Goto Edit or View Details page of an existing records -> More Actions -> Clone Record. All data from the selected record will be pre-filled. Saving this cloned record will create a new record with those values. Here is the documentation link documentation.progress.com/.../index.html
For standard values for a new record you can utilize the record template functionality. Allows you to select an existing record as a base for new records. See more details here documentation.progress.com/.../index.html